Machine for stemming peanuts.



PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

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Jokii/ W5 Jam No. 865,445. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

J. W. STEEL & J. G. TITUS. MACHINE FOR STEMMING PEANUTS.

APPLICATION IILBD NOV-14,1905.

3 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

QTa/uu #415266 v4: ucums PETERS (0., WASHINGTON, o. c.

No. 865,445. PATENTED SEPT} 10, 1907. J. W. STEEL & J. 0. TITUS. MACHINEFOR STBMMING PEANUTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

My m a JOHN W. STEEL AND .IOHN O. TITUS, OF NORFOLK,

VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR STEMMING PEANUTS.

Application filed November 14. 1905.

Y '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN W. STEEL and JOHN C. Tr'rris, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and Stateof Virginia,'have invented a new and useful Machine for StemmingPeanuts, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in machines for stemming peanuts.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofmachines for stemming peanuts, and to provide a simple and comparativelyinexpensive sternming machine, designed for the use of both farmers andcleaning factories, and capable of readily removing the stems frompeanuts without injuring the latter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stemming machinehaving a plurality of picking rolls, geared together and adapted to pullthe stems from the peanuts, and to enable the rotation of such rolls tobe automatically reversed for changing the points at which the stems arepulled, whereby the pulling action will be effected throughout theentire series of the rolls.

The invention also has for its object to provide means for positivelymoving the peanuts along the se ries of rolls, and for changing theposition of the peanuts, so that the stems will be presented to therolls.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims, hereto appended; it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details ofconstruction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the drawings1-Figure 1 is a side elevation of apeanut stemmingmachine, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal sectional view, a portion of the endless conveyer beingbroken away to illustrate the arrangement of the picking rolls. Fig. 3is a central longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 is a transversesectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end elevation ofa peanut stemming machine, illustrating another form of the invention.Fig. (3 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 7 is a detailview, illustrating the construction of the gears {or connecting thepicking rolls.

Like numerals of reierence designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The frame 1 of the machine may be constructed of any suitable material,and it is preferably provided with angle iron posts, or corner uprights2 and 3 which are connected by sides and ends 4 and 5, constructed ofsheet metal, wood, or any other suitable material. the said figure, thepicking action being effected at Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Serial No. 287,262.

The sides 4 of the frame, which are preferably inclined, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, are provided with inclinedguides 6, consisting of slots or openings and adapted to receive bearingboxes '7 of smooth picking rolls 8. The sides of the frame arepreferably provided at the slots or openings 6 with outwardly extendingflanges 9, but the guides for the bearing boxes 7 may be constructed inany other desired manner.

The picking rolls 8, which are disposed transversely of the machine, arearranged in sets or series, each set orseries being connected by gears10, and an idler roll 11, being interposed between the sets of gears.The rolls, which are suiiiciently small in diameter to grasp the stemsof the peanuts without damaging the shells, are yieldaloly maintained inengagement with each other by coiled springs 12 and adjusting screws 13,located at the upper ends oi the series of picking rolls at oppositesides of the frame of the machine. The bearing boxes of the lowermostroll are suitably secured in the guides or ways of the sides of theframe, and the coiled-springs, which engage the bearing boxes of theroll at the upper end of the series, have their tension varied by thescrews 13, which are mounted in suitable threaded openings of nuts orblocks 14, arranged in the guides or ways and secured by bolts or othersuitable fastening devices, which pierce the outward extending flanges9. By adjusting the screws 13, the desired pressure of the smooth rollson the stems may be obtained so that a positive feeding and pullingaction will be secured, without any liability of injuring the shells ofthe peanuts, which will not keep when the shells are cracked.

The gears 10, which are keyed or otherwise secured to the journals ofthe picking rolls, are provided with teeth of suflicient length andspaced sufficiently apart to admit of an adjustment of the rollslongitudinally of the guides or ways without interfering with the propermeshing of the gears.

In Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, three separate sets or series of pickingrolls are shown, and grooved pulleys 15, 16 and 17 are connected withextended journals of the rolls of the said series, one pulley beingprovided for each series of rolls. These grooved pulleys receive a belt18, which extends over the end pulleys l5 and 17 and under theintermediate pulley 16, and which also passes around a grooved pulley19, mounted on a transverse shaft 20. By this arrangement of the belt,the picking or cleaning rolls of the adjacent sets or series are rotatedin opposite directions, so that the idlers 11 will not interfere withthe rotation oi the adjacent rolls. When the drive pulley 19 is rotatedin the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the pickingrolls rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in the alternateengaging faces of the picking rolls. The engaging faces movingdownwardly take hold of the stems and feed the same downwardly and pullthe stems from the peanuts, ,which are round and too large to be graspedby the picking rolls. The contiguous up wardly moving faces of thepicking rolls do not operate to pull the stems from the peanuts, as willbe readily understood, and in order to enable the picking rolls tooperate on the peanuts throughout the entire series of rolls, therotation of the picking rolls at regular intervals is automaticallyreversed, so that the contiguous faces moving upwardly at one period oftime, will move downwardly at another period of time. This automaticreversal of rotation is effected by means of a pinion 21 and anactuating gear 22, which carries opposite curved racks or tooth segments23 and 24, located at different distances from the center of theactuating gear and arrangtd to alternately mesh with the pinion 21 atopposite sides thereof. The pinion 21 is keyed or otherwise secured tothe transverse shaft, and the actuating gear is mounted on a countershaft 25, which is connected with a suitable motor or other means foroperating the stemming machine. The outer segment of the actuating gearis provided with internal teeth, which rotate the pinion in onedirection, and the inner segment or rack 24 is provided with exteriorteeth, which engage the pinion at the opposite side and rotate the samein the opposite direction.

The inner and outer toothed segments are substantially scani-circular,suflicient space being provided for enabling one segment to clear thepinion as the other segment meshes with the same. By this construction,the picking rolls after being rotated a predetermined number ofrevolutions in one direction, are rotated in the opposite direction,which operation effects a change in the points along the series ofrolls, where the stems are pulled, and the reversal of the rolls alsoassists in changing the position of the peanuts so that they will bemore effectually operated on by the machine. The gearing for reversingthe rotation of the picking and cleaning rolls may, however, be omitted,and the picking rolls may be continuously operated in'one direction, aswill be readily understood. By reversing the rotation of the picking andcleaning rolls, the machine is rendered more effective, and its capacityis correspondingly increased.

The peanuts are positively carried down the in clined series or pickingrolls by an endless conveyor consisting of an endless belt 26, locatedabove the picking rolls and arranged on transverse conveyor rolls 27 and28, located at the upper and lower portions of the sides of the frame ofthe machine and journaled in suitable bearings thereof, the lower roll28 being provided at one end with a pulley 29, which is connected by abelt 30 with a pulley 3]. of the shaft 25. The lower stretch of theendless conveyor is spaced from the picking rolls, and is forceddownward into engagement with the peanuts by means of pivotally mountedgravity devices consisting of transverse rolls 32, journaled in suitablebearings of inclined arms 33, which converge upwardly, and which arepivoted at their upper ends 34 to the sides of the frame. The arms 33,which are hung between the upper and and lower stretches of the endlessconveyor, diverge downwardly and they engage the lower stretch of theconveyor adjacent to the rolls 2'7 and 28. These oscillatory pivotallymounted gravity devices yieldably hold the lower stretch of the conveyorin engagement with the peanuts, and are adapted to be forced upward bythe peanuts to prevent the conveyor from exerting too great a pressureon the same. By this construction, the peanuts are positively heldagainst the picking rolls without liability of injuring them.

The peanuts are dumped into a hopper 35, located at the head of themachine and provided at the bottom with a discharge opening 36, at whichpoint is located a rotary feed roll 37, provided with longitudinalgrooves 38 to receive the nuts and adapted to feed the same uniformly tothe machine.

The machine is provided beneath the hopper with an inclined chute 3E),constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material and extendingdownward to the uppermost picking roll of the series and adapted todirect the peanuts to the same. The inclined chute extends beneath theupper portion of the lower stretch of the endless conveyor which willpositively feed the peanuts to the picking rolls. The feed roll isprovided with an extended journal on which is mounted a pulley 40, whichis connected by a belt 4], with a pulley 42 of the transverse shaft 25.The stems, which are fed through the picking roll drop therefrom, andany suitable means may be arranged at the lower end of the series ofpicking rolls to receive the stemmed nuts.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings is illustrated another form of theinvention, in which an upright frame 43 is employed. The hopper 44 ismounted upon the top of the frame, and is adapted to deliver the peanutsto the picking rolls, which are arranged in oppositely inclined sets orseries 45, 46 and 47. The picking rolls are connected by gears 48, andare engaged by tension devices 49 constructed and arranged similar tothose heretofore described. The bearing boxes of the rolls slide ininclined slots of the frame, and the tension devices 49 are located atthe upper ends of the sets or series of rolls for regulating thepressure of the rolls on the stems of peanuts. The peanuts, afterpassing down the upper series or sets of picking rolls 45, drop upon theintermediate set or series 46 and finally upon the lower set or series47. Any desired number of sets or series may be employed, and any numberof picking rolls may be arranged in the sets or series of either form ofthe machine to provide a machine of the desired capacity.

The pulleys 51, 52 and 53 are connected with the series or sets ofpicking rolls, and they receive a belt 54, which is also arranged on alarge driving pulley 55 of a transverse shaft 56. The transverse shaft56 is provided with. a pinion 57, which is actuated by a gear 58, havingreversely arranged inner and outer toothed racks or segments adapted toreverse the rotation of the picking rolls at regular intervals for thepurpose heretofore described. The actuating gear is mounted on acountershaft 59, which also carries a pulley 60, adapted to be connectedwiththe suitable motor or other means for running the machine.

Although the stemming machine has been explained in connection with thestemming of peanuts, it will be readily understood that they are adaptedfor stemming or cleaning various other products.

Having thus fully described my invention, what 1 claim as new, anddesire to secure 'by Letters Patent, is'.-

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a series ofcontiguous stemengaging rolls having their contiguous faces moving inthe same direction, the alternate contiguous faces of the rolls movingdownwardly and the contiguous faces of the other rolls moving upwardly,and means for automatically reversing the rotation of the rolls tochange the positions of the downwardly moving faces in the series.

2. in a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls arranged in separate sets or series, gearing connecting therolls of each set or series, idler rolls interposed between the sets orseries of rolls, and means for rotating the rolls, said means beingarranged to rotate the adjacent sets or series in opposite directions.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls arranged in separate sets or series, each set or series havingthe contiguous stem-engaging faces of its rolls moving in the samedirection, gearing connecting the rolls of each set or series, means forrotating the rolls of all the sets or series, the rolls of the adjacentsets or series being rotated in opposite direc tions. and means forpassing the material along the sets or series of the rolls.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls having contiguous stem engaging faces adapted when movingdownwardly to carry the stems betwen the rolls. gearing connecting therolls, and means for automatically reversing the rotation of the rolls.said means embodying a pinion and an actuating gear having toothedsegments located at different dis tances from the center of the gear atdifferent portions of the same and having reversely arranged teeth foren- "ng the pinion at opposite sides thereof.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls having contiguous stem engaging portions, means for rotatingthe rolls, and means for automatically reversing the rotation of therolls, the latter means embodying a rotary element and an actuating element having curved engaging portions located at different distances fromthe center of the actuating element and arranged to engage the rotaryelement at opposite sides thereof to change the direction of therotation of the same.

(i. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contiguous stem-engaging rolls, each set or series having the rollscomposing the set or series moving in the same direction, the alternatecontiguous faces of the rolls moving downwardly to engage and carry thestems between the rolls, and the contiguous faces of the other rollsmoving upwardly to change the position of the material operated on, andmeans for rotating the rolls a predetermined number of revolutions inone direction and a predetermined number of revolutions in the oppositedirection.

T. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contiguous stem engaging rolls arranged in separate sets and thecontiguous faces of the rolls of each set being movable in the samedirection, and the alter nate engaging faces moving downwardly to carrythe stems between the rolls, and gearing for reversely rotating the setsof rolls.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contiguous stem engaging rolls arranged in separate sets and thecontiguous faces of the rolls of each set being movable in the samedirection, and the alternate engaging faces moving downwardly to carrythe stems between the rolls, and gearing for reversely rotating the setsof rolls, said gearing being also provided with means for automaticallyreversing the rotation of the rolls.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls, an endless conveyer for forcing the material against therolls, and pivotally mounted oscilla tory inclined gravity deviceslocated at the end portions of the conveyer and diverging downwardlytowards the same.

10. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls, an endless conveyer for forcing the material against therolls, pivotally mounted arms, and rolls caried by the pivotally mountedarms, said arms being hung between the stretches of the conveyer anddiverging downwardly and engaging the lower stretch of the conveyer.

11. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contiguous stem engaging rolls, a con veyer located above the rollsand spaced from the same, a hopper, and means for directing the materialfrom the hopper into the spaces between the conveyer and the rolls.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contiguous stem engaging rolls, an endless conveyer located above therolls, a hopper, and an inclined chute for directing the material fromthe hopper to the rolls, said chute being spaced from a portion of theendless conveyer and cooperating with the same to provide a positivefeed.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls, a hopper having a bottom opening, and a feed roll operatingwithin the hopper at the bottom opening thereof and having grooves forpositively and uniformly feeding the material to the said rolls.

14. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls arranged in separate sets or series, means for rotating therolls of each set or series, idler rolls interposed between the sets orseries of rolls, and means for holding the rolls in yielding engagementwith each other.

15. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof rolls arranged in separate sets or series, gearing connecting therolls of each set or series, and idler rolls interposed between the setsor series of rolls,- all of the said rolls being in contact for engagingthe stems of the peanuts.

16. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof contiguous stem-engaging rolls arranged in separate sets or seriesand having contiguous downwardly moving faces arranged at intervals,gearing for reversely rotating the sets or series to change the positionof the downwardly moving faces in the sets or series, and idler rollsinterposed between the sets or series of rolls.

17. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a series ofclosely-arranged smooth-faced rolls of small diameter arranged withtheir faces in contact, the alter nate contiguous faces of the rollsmoving downwardly and the intervening contiguous faces moving upwardly,means for rotating the rolls, and means for holding the rolls inyielding engagement with each other, said rolls being sufficlently smallin diameter to grasp the stems thereof and not damage the shells.

In testimony, that we claiinthe foregoing as our own, we have heretoafiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN V. STEEL. JOHN C. TITUS.

Witnesses Inimr M. Pnnsco'r'r, Jr., J. STANLEY TRICE.

